Determining a position of an implant analog can be difficult. An implant analog body can be embedded in a working model. Currently, a reference member can be screwed to an implant analog and alignment or position of the implant analog can be determined by a plurality of scans. The reference member can be cylindrical or a conical cylinder with a flat section that can be used for orientation of the geometry of the body. The reference member can be matched to each of a number of implant analog systems. Consequently, a high degree of user skill and concentration can be required to match the reference member to each implant analog system. In order to mitigate potential for error during processing of data, the reference member alignment or position can be documented manually or taken when selecting the corresponding geometry.
Dimensions of the reference member can be constrained by adjacent teeth, such that the cylinder can be no thicker than about 5 millimeters (mm). Measurement of the reference member can be a tactile, as well as a visual, endeavor. The tactile measurement can include measuring a cover surface of the cylinder, which is defined by a circle and a plane. A center of the circle and a vector describing the position of the plane can describe a direction of the reference member. Since height of the measured cylinder can be known, the position and direction of the implant analog can be described. Visual measurement of the reference member can be scanned and software can extrude data. Also with this technique, the center of the lid surface can be obtained.
Another way to determine the position of an implant analog body can be a best fit function. In this technique, the reference member can be scanned or triangulated relative to another body.